Airship.



Patented June 28, 1.910.

6 SHEBTQ-BH'EET 1.

Inventor Attorneys.

A. R. RIEGBR.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1909.

Witnesses:

Patented June 28, 1910.

6 8HEETS-BHEET 2.

M a Ml 5 Witnesses: a 3 Inventor:

H1 1? fir-2102'] Ffegar GBI/ 2" I Attorneys.

A. R. 31mm. AIRSHIP.

' APPLICATION rnnnsnrm. 9, 190a. 962,977. Patented June 28,1910. esums-sum a.

Witnesses: Inventor:

A. R. RIEGER.

msrm. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1909.

Patented June'28, 1910.

6 BHEETBSEEBT 4.

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R N -A w Inventor:

Witnesses Attorneys.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

A. R. RIB-GER. AIRSHIP. APPLIUATIOK FILED SEPT. 9, 1909.

Patented June 28,1910.

Q Witnesges humiMam Attorneys.

A. R. RIEGER.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1909.

Patented June 28, 1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

Inventor Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST RICHARD RIEGER, or CHICAGO, ILLrNoIs.

AIRSHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 28, 1910.

Application filed September 9, 1909. Serial No. 516,820.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST RICHARD RIEGER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships;and I do hereby declare that the following description of my saidinvention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheets of drawings,forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has general reference to improvements in airships; and itconsists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of partsand details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth anddescribed, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings already referred to, which serve to illustrate thisinvention more fully, Figure 1 is a side-elevation of my improvedairship. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of a portion of the mechanism bywhich the propeller is operated and caused to change its axial positionrelative to the axial line of the airship, thesection being on line b,b, of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a plan of the airship. Fig. 4c is atransverse-sectional elevation on line a, a, of Fig. 5, looking forward,the means for manipulating the wings of the airship being shown insection. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the forward portion of theairship and illustrating the device complete, for manipulating thepropeller. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of'the airship showing, inelevation, the means for manipulating the propeller. Fig. 7 is a plan ofthe forward portion of the latter means. Fig. 8 is an elevation ofthecage which carries the propeller. Fig. 9 is a plan of the aft portion ofthe airship and illustrating the mechanism for manipulating the tail ofthe airship. Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of the devices shown inFig. 9, the section being taken on line 0, 0, of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is asectional plan of the rod forming a part of the mechanism formanipulating the tail, the section being taken on line d, d, of Fig. 10.Fig. 12 (Sheet 1) is an elevation of the standard and appurtenants forthe mechanism by which the tail or rudder of the airship is actuated.Fig. 13 is an elevation of the rudder and the mech anism formanipulating the same, the rudder being shown in a vertical position.Fig. 14 is an end-elevation of the airship illustrating the rudder in avertical position.

Like parts are designated by corresponding symbols and characters ofreference in all the various figures.

A in these drawings designates the body of this airship. It is,preferably of ovoid transverse section, and formed of a suitableskeleton frame comprising angle-bars and I-beams properly strengthenedby diagonal braces and gussets, as indicated in the various figures insaid drawings.

B is the propeller. It is of any of the approved construction whichexperience has demonstrated to be most suitable for the propulsion of anairship, and it is operated by one or more internal-combustion enginesC, located approximately amidship of the body A and connected to a maintransmis- SltIl shaft 12, by means of driving sprocket wheels 13, on theengine shafts 14, and driven sprocket-wheels 15 located on the maintransmission-shaft 12, link-chain or other suitable drive 16, connectingthe several sprocket-wheels. The forward end of the main-shaft 12 isforked at 17, to constitute, in conjunction with an annular ring 18, anda hub 19, a universal joint, E, said ring 18 being pivoted to the fork17 by pivotal screws 20, and the hub 19 to the ring 18 by pivots 21, asclearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5. In front of the hub 19 there is acage'D, comprising an annular ring 22, provided with a hub 62, by asuitable number of curved arms or spokes 23, the hub 62 being suitablybored to form a bearing for a stud 24, on the propeller hub 25, saidstud being properly fastened to the hub 19in any ap- 12, they beingsuitably fastened in the ships body by brace-rods 31. Within theseannular rings HII, are located the spiders F, G,

each which has on its arms 32 laterallyprojecting double-eyes 33,wherein are ivoted, rollers 34, bearing on the inner sides of theU-shaped annular rings H, I, and these arms are forked at their outerends at 35, to receive rollers 36, bearing on the inner peripheralportion of said annular rings H,

f, thereby movably supporting the spiders 'flithe sides of the F, G, insaid annular rings.

The hubs 37, of the spiders F, G, are bored to fit, and they aresecurely fastened upon, a tube 38, surrounding the main-shaft 12 at itsforward end, so that when the spiders F, G, and with them the cage D arerevolved there will be no twisting action in the device. From the rearface of the spider G project two lugs 39, 40, to which are pivoted bypivotal bolts 41, a housing 42, having laterally-projecting arms 43, towhich the ends of the rois 27, 28 are pivoted by the double-eyes 44,said arms serving as a tiller M, to rotate the spiders F, G, and thecage D, and at the samii time to oscillate the cage D by a lateralmovement of said tiller M.

In order to further stiffen the mechanism which rotates the forwardspider F there are placed upon two of the arms of said spiders auxiliarytubes 45, Figs. 6 and 7, and auxiliary rods 46 so that said spiders areconnected by four tubes and rods, the latter, auxiliary tubes and rodsbeing introduced as a precautionary measure, and may be dis pensed withshould actual tests show that they are not required.

.J are a pair of wings, serving the purpose of aeroplanes. These wingsare pivoted to ships body by hinge-mem- '-'-.bers 47, and they are swungaround their This sleeve is pivotal points by means comprising a tubularsleeve 48 suitably journaled in bearings, 49, supported upon a properstructure 50. screw-threaded internally, at both ends to receive screws51, there being double-eyes 52, on the outer ends of said screws,engaging links 53, saidlinks being connected to further links 54, theouter ends of which engage the said wings J. At the adjacent,connecting, ends of the links 53and 54, there are auxiliary, supportinglinks 55, suitably pivoted at the upper edges of the ships body at 56.The sleeve 48 is fitted with a sprocket-wheel 57, and in the ship, andin close proximity to the tiller M, that controls the position of thepropeller, there is located a transverse shaft 58, upon which is mounteda driver-sprocket 59, which connects with the driven sprocket 57 by adrivechain 60. Upon this shaft 58 there is located a so-calledsteering-wheel 61, by means of which the shaft 58, and through it andits driving mechanism, the sleeve 48 is rotated. The screws 51 haveright, respectively left threads so that by revolving the sleeve 48 inone direction, the screws 51 will move outgear-pinion 73 on the shaftbolt 89.

wardly, and when revolved in the opposite direction will be drawn intothe sleeve 48. This movement of the screws is communicated to the wingsJ through the links 53 and 54 and the wings thereby raised or lowered,as the case may be.

K designates the tail or rudder of the airship. It is composed of twolike members, each being curved, the upper member 63, being upwardly,and the lower member 64, being downwardly curved, as indicated in Fig.10. This rudder K is pivoted so as to be capable of being oscillated ina horizontal plane around its pivotal points, for raising and loweringit, and it is also pivoted in such a manner that it may oscillate in avertical plane at right angles to the former plane, and the mechanism bymeans of which this compound movement of the rudder is accomplishedcomprises a standard 65, located at the rear end of the ships skeletonframe. This standard has centrally a long sleeve 66, and at its upperextremity a bearing 67. At a suitable distance forward of this standard65 there is a further standard 68, having at its upper end a bearing 69,said bearing carrying one end of a shaft 70, the other end of which iscarried in the bearing 67 of the rear-standard 65. In the sleeve 66 ofthe latter standard there is a tubular shaft 71, having on its inner enda segment of a gear-wheel 72, meshing with a 70. The inner end of thisshaft 70 has a steering-wheel 74, by means of which it is rotated.-

The outer end of the tubular shaft 71 is formed into a yoke 75, thelower ends of which are pivoted to bearings 76, secured to the rudder Kand upon which the latter may oscillate. In front of the rear-standard65 there is pivoted to the floor-beam 77, by a bearing 78, a lever 79,formed at its upper end into a segment of a worm-wheel 80, Fig. 10, saidworm-wheel engaging a worm 81, fastened to a tubular sleeve 82, locatedupon the shaft 70 and having at its end adjacent to the standard 68 asteering-wheel 83. In the bore of tubular shaft 71 there is,longitudinally-movable, a rod 84, shown in detail in Fig. 11, said rodhaving a spline 85, engaging a groove in the bore of the tubular shaft71 to cause it to rotate therewith without preventing longitudinalmovement thereof. This rod 84 is coupled to a double: eye 86 by aswivel-coupling 87, the doubleeye 86 engaging a slotted aperture 88, bya The outer end of this rod 84 has a double-eye 90, wherewith engagesone end of a link 91, the other end whereof engages a double-eye 92,fastened to the rudder K.

It will now be observed that when the hand-wheel 74 is rotated, itsshaft 70 and pinion 73 will cause the rotation of the gear- 71 and yoke75 and finally the rudder K.

20 which the cells may be charge If, however, the hand-wheel 83 isrotated, tical position, it will revolve 'the spiders G, the sleeve 82with its worm 81 will rotate F, and if. then the tiller M is pulled asthe segment of a worm-wheel 80, and the heretofore described theposition of the proarm 7 9 move the rod 8 1 horizontally and by peller Bwould be such as to cause the how the link 91 lift or depress the rudderK, as of the ship "to gise, such a position bein 70 the case may be. Itwill thus be seen that also illustrated in Fig. 2, if it is assumed therudder K may be both rocked and raised that this figure is a vertical,and not a horiand lowered, and that this may be done zontal section orsectional plan as heretosimultaneously by actuating the two handforestated, it being obvious that this Fig. 2 10 wheels 74 and 83 at thesame time. may be either a vertical or a horizontal sec- 75 In order togive buoyancy to this airship tion. And in order that the ship may notthere are located gas-containing cylinders depend upon a singlemechanism to enable L, preferably outside of the ships body, its beingsteered, I'have provided the rudder said gas-containers L being,preferably, rue- K which, as already described, is adapted tallic,pointed and hollow bodies, the interior to be moved vertically as wellas oscillated so of which is provided with a series of bulkupon thetubular shaft 71. Thus by placheads 93, to divide these gas-containersinto ing the rudder K in an elevated position, as a number of cells 94,each of which is proshown in Fig. 1, the'bow of the ship will be videdwith a suitable filling plu 92, through caused to rise, while when therudder is de- 5 with, prefpressed it will cause the bow to be depressed.85 erably hydrogen, gas. These gas-containers But if the rudder isturned by manipulat- L may also be made from any suitable gasing thehand-wheel 83, so that the rudder tight material, and they are securedto the will stand in a more or less vertical position, ships body bybrackets 95, and guy-rods the ship will veer to port or starboard, as

or ropes 96. .These gas-containers are horithe case may be, while bymanipulating both 90 parts appertaining to 'this airship are so may besailed more or less in a horizontal zontally movable in the brackets 95so that hand-wh els 74 and 83, a ompound moveby shifting their positionforward or backment of the airship will take place.

ward the ship may be brought into longi- By raising the wings J more orless \by tudinal balance, care being taken that all the manipulating thehand-wheel 61) the ship 5 located and disposed therein that the airshipdirection, depending upon the 4 position of is practically balanced, thecenter of gravity the wings. a being amidship and as low as possiblethere- The ship, when made sufiiciently large so in, so that anyvariation in the equilibrium that its buoyancy permits of carrying seviof the ship can be compensated for, by shifteral persons, two operatorsmay be required 1 ship, and two, 98, well aft thereof, the forandoperate the hand-wheels 74 and 83.

ing the gas-containers, as described. to govern the same, one of whomwill be To enable the airship bein started on its placed forward tohandle the tiller M and flight, it is mounted upon w eels, there bethehand-wheel 61, while the other will take 111 one of these wheels, 97,forward of the his station aft and take care of the motors ward wheel 97being journaled in a fork 99, Ordinarily, these two hand-wheels willreso that the ship in its normal position is quire no attention when therudder has rearwardly inclined, its bow being the highonce been set so.that the ship may sail a est. If now the motors C are started, thestraight course, but in. c 'ase the airship 1s 4 ship will be forwardlypropelled and will not sufliciently buoyant tocarrymore than 1'10- riseowing to the wings J being inclined and one operator, I shall lengthenthe shaft acting as aeroplanes. It can then be steered and itsappurtenants so as to place the handby shifting the axial line ofrotation of the wheels 7 4 and 83 within easy reach of the propeller bymanipulating the, tiller M. forward aviator, thereby enabling himto 50As shown in the plan Fig. 5, when the tiller perform all the variousmovements neces- 115 M stands in a horizontal plane and at right sary togovern the ship, from a single staangles to the longitudinal center-lineof the tion. When the airship is sufiiciently buoyship, the axial lineof revolution of the proant to carry more than two persons the repellerwill coincide with that of themainmaining persons will be so distributedin the 55 shaft 12, but when the tiller M is pulledso ship as topreserve, as near as possible, its

that the 'port-arm 4:3 is forward and the equilibrium. star-board armaft, the rods 27, and 28twil-l I have heretofore stated that the rods 27swing the ca e D so that the axial line'of and 28, and theauxiliary-rods 46- are inrevolht on o the propeller is inclined toclosedv within the tubes. 30 and 45 respec: 50 the axial lineofrevolution of the maintively. These tubes, however, may be disshaft,this position being illustrated in Fig. pensed with, if desired, sincethe spiders F 2. This would cause the ship to swing to and G aresecurely fastened to the tube 38 starboard. All opposite movement of theand since there is not likely to be any twisttiller M would cause theship to veer to port. ing in these rods when the tiller M is being 65But when the tiller M is turned into a verturned.

. main-shaft; a universal 4 cage interposed between the Having thusfully described this invention, I claim as new and desire to secure tome by Letters Patent of the United Statesn airship, comprising, incombination, a body; taining cylinders attached to the sides of saidbody and adapted to be forwardly and backwardly moved to establish andmaintain the equilibrium of the ships body, said cylinders being carriedin brackets and held in position by guy-rods; wings on said body; meansfor elevating and depressing said wings, a propeller-wheel forward ofthe bow of the ships body; means for changing the axial line of rotationof said propeller-wheel; a rudder, and means for varying the position ofsaid rudder, as, and for the object specified.

2. In an airship, means for varying the axis of rotation of theshipspropeller, said means comprising, in combination, apropeller-wheel; a main-shaft, a universal joint connecting saidpropeller-wheel to said main-shaft; a cage; rods pivoted to said cagewith one end, a tiller to which said rods are connected with their otherends; annular guides; spiders in said annular guides; a central tubeupon said main-shaft to which said spiders are afiixed, said rodspassing through said spiders, said tiller being adapted to be rotatedand move upon its pivot, as specified. l

3. In an airshi means for. varying the axis of rotation 0 the shipspropeller, said means com rising, in combination, a propeller-whee atthe bow of said airship;'a coupling connecting said main-shaft; apropeller-wheel and the universal coupling; two rods pivoted with theirforward ends to said cage; spiders, through the arms of which said rodsare passed; annular guides within which said spiders are adapted torotate, said spiders having guiding-rollers engaging said annularguides; a tiller pivoted to one of said spiders and adapted to rotatethe same, said rods being pivoted to said tiller at their rear ends.

4.. In an airship,

said propeller-wheel to the combination, with a pro eller-wheel locatedinfront of the bow peller-wheel is of t e airship and having its axis ofrotation normally coincidin with the longitudinal center hne of theships body, of means for moving the axial line of rotation of saidpropeller-wheel out of coincidence, said means comprising a cage withinwhich said projournaled; parallel rods pivotall connected to said cagewith their forwar ends; means for maintaining the parallelism'of saidrods, a tillerpivoted at'its center and adapted to oscillate around itspivotal point, said rods being connected to motors in said body;gas-con-' tiller is adapted to rotate said cage and to move the rodslongitudinally to change the angularity of said propeller wheel.

5. In an airship, the combination, with a propeller-wheel located infront of the bow of the airship, and having its axis of rotationnormally coinciding with the lon tudinal center line of the ships body,0 a cage located in the rear of said propellerwheel; a stud on saidpropeller-wheel journaled in said cage; rods, pivotally connected tosaid cage with their forward ends; of spiders placed a predetermineddistance apart, said spiders having arms through which said rods arepassed; lugs on the rear face of one of said spiders; a housing,.pivoted to said lugs; arms on said housing to which said rods arepivoted at their rear ends; annular guides within which said spiders areadapted to rotate; guide-rollers near the outer ends of said spider-armsadapted to engage the inner flanks of said annular guides and'furtherguide-rollers at the ends of said spider-arms adapted to engage theinnerperipheral surfaces of said annular guides.

6. In an airship, the combination, of a ships body; a air of wingspivotally connected with, and projecting outwardly from the sides ofsaid ships body, and means for raising and lowering said wings, saidmeans including a journaled tubular sleeve; screws in the ends of saidtubular sleeve and in screw-threaded relation therewith; linksconnecting said screws to said wings and means for rotating said sleeve,the latter means including a sprocket wheel upon said tubular sleeve, arotativ'e shaft, a steering wheel upon said shaft, a sprocket wheel uponsaid shaft, and a belt-connecting said sprocket wheels.'

7. In an airship, the combination, of a ships bodi; a pair of wingspivotally connected Wit and projectin outwardly from the sides of saidships ha y, and means for adjusting the angular position of said wings,said means including su ported bearings; a tubular sleeve journale insaid bearln screws in, and projecting from, said tubular sleeve and inscrew-threaded engagement therewith, double-eyes on said screws; linksconnecting with said double-eyes, further links connecting with thefirst-mentioned links with one end and with the win s with their otherends and supporting-fin s connecting with the adjacent ends of saldlinks, and means for rotating said tubular sleeve.

In testimony that I claim the foregoin as my invention I have hereuntoset my ban in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST RICHARD RIEGER.

Attest:

' MICHAEL J.'S'1ARK, Manama KmL.

apair

